7 Days at a Piltover Hotel
by angel-yukari
Summary: Purely by chance, Katarina won a seven-day trip to a five-star hotel in Piltover. Originally hesitant, but under the pressure from Cass and Talon, Katarina finally went, but wasn't expecting the company of the Crownguard siblings, nor other champions from the Institute of War who were here for a variety of reasons. How is this week going to go for Katarina?
1. Day 1: Arrival

Hello fellow summoners~ This is a story about Katarina on a vacation in Piltover! The main pairings will be Katarina x Garen, Lux x Ezreal, Akali x Shen, Syndra x Zed, Irelia x Talon! Rated T for slightly explicit scenes and language~

Hope you enjoy and please review/follow/fav! Thank you!

~Angel

* * *

"Thank you for choosing The Grand Hotel at Piltover. Your three-bedroom suite is located on the top floor of the main building, with an ocean view. The facilities-"

"It's not like I had a choice of where to say," I snapped and snatched the three keys and hotel guide from the clerk.

"Sorry, my sister's in a bad mood," Cass apologized.

"Katarina's always in a bad mood," Talon added.

The hotel clerk smiled gently and wished for us to have a nice stay, but how was that possible when the lobby was filled with people from the Institute of War?

"God damn this stupid lottery," I growled and stomped toward the elevator, dragging my small black suitcase. Cass and Talon followed quickly, saying hi to our acquaintances as the moved.

"We shouldn't have come," I complained very unhappily as we waited for the elevator to come. "I came here ready for a relaxing vacation in one of Runeterra's best cities, not for Garen to laugh at my black sundress or for Darius and Draven to stare at me disapprovingly."

"Sorry Kat, none of us knew that the Noxian-Ionian Treaty was held here too," Cass murmured.

"I should've just came with Darius and Draven. Look at them, they're going to annoy me about cancelling my position in the Treaty conference. Jesus, I declined the offer to have my voice heard at that conference just to end up at the same place," I continued with my rant.

"It's okay to go on a vacation, Kat. Darius and Draven will understand. You've attended all the other conferences anyway, Try-Hard." Talon rolled his eyes.

"Okay, but what about Garen? You saw how he judged my dress. He looked at me with a face of disgust," I pointed out.

"You guys broke up anyway, you don't have to care about his opinions," Cass said.

I thought about Cass' statement and stopped talking, but just as I was finally pulling myself together, the elevator door opened and out came Emilia LeBlanc and Swain.

"Katarina?" They both exclaimed.

"What, you're going to judge me for taking a break too?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes.

"Relax, little lady. No one's judging you. Calm your assassin instincts and enjoy your vacation," Emilia purred and showed me her large cocktail glass.

"Exactly, you've worked so hard for the past few years, even your dad would approve of your vacation," Talon sighed, then entered the elevator after Emilia and Swain exited.

I remained quiet as we rode the elevator up to the fifteenth floor. Although Piltover was known for its cityscape, our hotel was a big mansion-like building on the beach, not a hundred-floor downtown hotel that rose well above the steam and into the sky.

"I'm so excited!" Cass squealed as I opened the door to our suite.

"I call the ocean view room," I chirped.

"Idiot, you can see the ocean from all the bedrooms," Talon replied.

Talon told the truth, as usual, and we picked the two rooms in the corners and Cass picked the one between ours. Assassins preferred the corners, probably.

"Well, it's lunch soon. Got any preferences, ladies?" Talon asked, snuggling into the big couch in the living room. He had thrown his blue cape on the floor and was in a white cotton T-shirt and black shorts.

"You're sweating onto the couch, you disgusting little boy!" Cass yelped and pushed Talon off the couch.

"How about that grill beside the pool?" I suggested, pointing at the pool outside the window. It was a big outdoor pool with waterslides beside the beach.

"You're planning on getting drunk already, aren't you?" Talon smirked, lying on the floor.

"Watch your words," I warned then explained, "I want Emilia's cocktail. It looks good."

"Oh, that's where she got it? I'm in then," Cass said from the couch.

"Me too. It looked good. Plus, it's big." Talon chirped.

"Wow, look at our house filled with alcoholics," I laughed. "Let's get changed and head to the grill, then?"

"Sounds good," they said, and walked into their rooms. I too, walked and pulled my suitcase into my room.

The bed was king-size, and there were four white fluffy pillows and a crimson cashmere blanket. There was a detailedly carved wooden nightstand beside the bed and a closet of matching design and carvings. I put my suitcase at the corner beside the floor-to-ceiling window and took out a knee-length, tight, strapless black dress.

I changed out of my current floor-length, flowing black sundress and into that new one instead. Katarina wasn't _the_ Katarina if she wasn't sporting her sexy black outfits.

"Damn, are you trying to impress someone, or...?"

I turned around rapidly and found myself staring at Cass at my door.

"You forgot to close the window," she said quickly.

"Close it please, thanks," I replied calmly. She shut it quickly but quietly and said she'll wait for me at the foyer to our suite. I grabbed a pair of black stilettos, tied my red hair in a ponytail, and left my room. Talon was an impatient boy, and I didn't like to make him wait because he had a terrible temper, like me.

"What's with the dress?" Talon howled hysterically, bursting into laughter. He was still in his sweaty shirt and shorts, but it wasn't like I'd be bothered to force him to change.

"I have my daggers with me, you know, so shut your useless mouth," I snapped, glaring at him, grabbing my daggers from my black purse.

The three of us rode the glass elevator that took us to the restaurant wing, and as usual, Cass followed Talon and me quietly, because the two of us were always arguing about something.

We arrived at the grill and were told to wait for twenty minutes. Once again, Cass had to hold me back when I was about to yell at the waiter.

"Cocktail, Kat. Cocktail. Remember the cocktail," Cass said, "Breathe in, breathe out. That's it. Good job."

"Good job your face," I snapped and crossed my legs angrily, staring out the window to the big pool.

"Katarina? It's you, right?"

Some girl waved her hand in front of my face, and my eyes followed the movement of her hand until they stopped and I found myself staring at Syndra's face.

"I didn't think a smart assassin like you would fall for my hand-moving trick," she howled, laughing loudly. "What's up, old friend? I haven't seen you in years!"

"Well, I won a lottery and decided to take a seven-day vacation here, but so far it hasn't been so good," I sighed. Syndra sat down beside me.

"It's only the first day, cheer up! You deserve a break," Syndra chirped.

"What's your occasion?" I asked. Syndra and I grew close during our training days at the Institute of War, but since we didn't usually fight together because our roles clashed, we hadn't seen each other since training ended.

"Zed and I are just travelling around," she answered quietly, blushing.

"'Just' travelling around, my ass. How long is your pre-marriage honeymoon? Also, congratulations on finally getting together," I said, clapping rhythmically and not so enthusiastically.

"Shut up!" she laughed embarrassedly, waving her hand in the air, "Our vacation's a month long. We're travelling across different areas of Runeterra."

"That's nice. Are you making Zed pay?" I smirked, teasing her.

"I didn't make him pay, girl," she replied. "Speaking of which, how's your relationship going with Garen?"

"Nothing, idiot. We've broken up for a really long time," I said quietly.

"You know what, let's hang out a bit after lunch. We should sit at the same table. Does that sound fine to you guys?" she asked Talon and Cass. The two of them nodded, not really sure how to react to my friendship with Syndra.

"You're welcomed anytime, if you're good at making Kat happy," Cass sighed. I glared at her, making her wince.

Zed arrived just then and wondered what was going on. Syndra quickly explained to him the situation and added: "Katarina needs some advice."

"What advice? I don't need any advice," I retorted.

"I said it's okay, and we can discuss it after lunch," Syndra said cheerfully, petting my head.

The waiter arrived then and led us to a table beside the window. The five of us sat down, Zed and Talon showing off their muscles to each other, while Cass and Syndra talked about the fashion boutiques in downtown Piltover. I, on the other hand, annoyed that they were talking so much and so loudly, decided to look at the menu, but my peace was interrupted shortly after when Garen and Lux walked in and sat down at the table beside ours. It was going to be a very long lunch.

* * *

Hope you liked the story~ Please review/follow/fav, thank you!


	2. Day 1: Katarina's Not a Lady

Here's part 2! Hope you enjoy~

To ragerranger35: Thanks for the review and here's a part of the story of how Syndra and Kat became friends~

~Angel

* * *

I played with my silver fork impatiently as we waited for the food. I noticed that Garen occasionally turned to look at me, and when he did, I played with my fork even more aggressively and scratched the edge of the table with the butter knife, just to annoy him.

"You should probably tone it down a bit," Syndra whispered, seeing that I was still glaring at Garen, my teeth bared.

"How can someone always be in such a bad mood," Talon said, sighing. "Even if I was frustrated, I wouldn't let my anger out with that whimsy little butter knife."

"You wanna go? Huh?" I banged on the table harshly, water in our glasses vibrating and jumping out onto the table.

"Guys, please!" Cass said loudly. I still looked at Talon angrily and he at me cheekily.

"Sorry Talon, but I'm on Kat's side. Not anyone has been through what she has with Garen," Syndra said, giving Garen a dark look, then turned back to Talon and chirped, "You should give her some space."

"That's not fun though," Talon replied, sighing, shaking his head.

"She's _actually_ been through a lot though. If she finally gets really angry one day, do you think anyone on Runeterra will still be alive?" Syndra said.

"I will," Talon laughed, "I know her tricks so I can run away."

"Bastard," I muttered under my breath and kicked him near his balls under the table with the heel of my shoes.

"What the hell, Kat?" Talon yelped, bending over, his head crashing on the table. I laughed loudly, being the sadist I was.

"Speaking of Garen, how did you become friends with Katarina?" Cass asked Syndra, completely ignoring me, as Zed finally made up his mind to accompany Talon to the bathroom.

"We're similar in a lot of ways. She's full of spice and I'm a snake, always ready to pick out someone's faults. We are solo mid champions, do tons of damage, and enjoy it. Kat and I have a lot in common... but I guess it's really the dramas we went through that really pulled us together," Syndra answered, grinning, nudging my arm encouragingly with her elbow.

"I hope the drama you were involved in weren't as illegal as Kat's though," Cass said, laughing weakly.

"Oh, no. Not that type of drama. We're talking about teenage romances and such," Syndra laughed heartily. "We really bonded by talking about Garen and Zed, and Akali and Shen's successful relationship."

"Oh yeah. I wonder how they're doing," I chimed in. I remembered watching Akali and Shen falling more in love every day, and envying that type of relationship. I wanted to prank them because I was bitter, and Syndra had to hold me back every time because she believed in time and chances. I guess it worked out for her in the end, because she finally got together with Zed.

"They're probably good," Syndra replied, then looked at Cass and said: "Anyway, that's the summary of how we became friends. I spent my days holding Katarina back from her nasty plans to ruin couples, and then I learned why she was bitter."

"Wow, what an evil sister I have," Cass remarked, and stared at me disappointedly. I raised an eyebrow and pulled out a dagger to polish it. Then, self-conscious, I peered out from the corner of my eyes to see if Garen reacted to anything Syndra just said.

The appetizers and cocktails were served just then, and Talon and Zed had come back from their bathroom trip. Talon, seeing that I had calmed down a bit, comfortably returned to his seat and sat, his guard down.

But being the nasty assassin I was, I felt the urge to and kicked Talon again, this time on the shin and a lot more lightly. He glared at me angrily but let it go, stabbing into his salad.

"So, Zed, is it okay if I spend some time with Syndra for the afternoon? I'll meet up with you for dinner," Syndra said, then spoon-fed Zed his own salad. I made childish puking noises, then only surrendered, pouting unhappily, and ate my own salad when Cass hissed.

"Sure," Zed replied cheerfully and spoon-fed Syndra her salad in exchange. I turned away, suppressing the urge to make more noises, but regretted it right away because I remembered if I escaped from Syndra and Zed, I'd have to meet Garen's stupid face.

I turned my head back to my own table.

"Kat, do you want to hit the swimming pool? And Cass, do you want to join us?" Syndra asked happily.

"I'll pass. I want to explore the museum wing in the hotel," Cass answered, shaking her head.

"I'll swim," I said.

"You guys do that, then. Talon and I can go to the gym, yeah?" Zed said, grinning, looking at Talon.

"I'm already a lot stronger than you, obviously, but sure," Talon replied, proudly flexing his arm muscles covered in scars. Zed did the same.

"You guys are weak," I said, rolling my eyes, and flexed, joining their pointless competition.

"Oh," the boys said and poked my muscles, then exclaimed simultaneously, "You're buff."

"Of course, it's Katarina we're talking about here," Syndra chirped. "She's as skilled an assassin as both of you are. Except she's also very pretty, and of course, not only ready for the Rift but also ready for the battle this afternoon, am I right?"

"There's a battle this afternoon?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes. The swimming pool. Are you ready to impress with your overly-fit body?" Syndra said, rather tired of my obliviousness and boyishness.

"Oh, that. Sure, but let me eat first. My pizza's here," I replied, paying zero attention to anything else Syndra and Cass said afterward, and shoved a whole piece into my mouth, although I knew they were judging me for being too unlady-like.

As I rapidly consumed a whole pizza, I heard Garen snort disapprovingly and Lux make a face to make Garen shut up.

Then I turned my attention to Syndra and Cass, who were eating their steaks elegantly with forks and knives. In a bad mood, I kicked my shoes off, put one foot on my seat and stretched out another on the table. I grabbed my cocktail and slurped loudly.

"What's your problem? Move your foot!" Talon yelped, attempting to push my foot off the table.

"I have a problem with Garen!" I hissed quietly. "He's judging every one of my movements!"

"Do you want to leave then? We can get going since we both finished our food," Syndra suggested.

"But the dessert..." I said shyly.

"Don't act cute, stupid. Dessert's for the good girls, not you!" Talon exclaimed.

"Chill, bro," said Zed, "But I do vote for Kat to leave though. She's really not suitable for a restaurant like this... when she's angry."

"Okay, let's go then. I've eaten everything I want anyway, and I can find better dessert downtown." I said, standing up, and stuck a butter knife perpendicularly into the table as I walked away. Syndra chased after me quickly, dragging her spheres across the floor. We left the grill and walked toward our rooms together, after learning that our suites were close to each other.

"You know, after all this time, I still don't know why Garen and you broke up," Syndra said as we entered the elevator. We hadn't been talking as we walked, because she knew not to breathe a word when I was angry.

"If you get me drunk enough, I'll tell you," I sighed.

"That's impossible. I'll be drunk before you," Syndra exclaimed, her pupilless purple eyes widening.

"I mean, if Ahri or someone's here, you can probably get me drunk enough," I laughed. Back in training days at the Institute, I occasionally participated in girl-nights for fun, where I had the honour to watch all of them get drunk, like Syndra. I remembered laughing at them with Ahri, who was also strong against the effects of alcohol.

"Do I have a better shot getting the story out of Garen then?" she scoffed.

"Bullshit, you don't even know him," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Well, I'll think of a way to get the story out of you by the end of the week," Syndra said, grinning, "but first, let's get changed and hit the swimming pool."

* * *

Hope you liked it and please review/fav/follow thank you!


	3. Day 1: Swimming Pool Plans

Part three is up! Hope you enjoy, and thanks for the reviews/favs/follows~

~Angel

* * *

Syndra and I attracted quite a few looks when we walked around the main pool to look for two beach chairs. She wore a dark purple bandeau bikini and I in a black triangle bikini.

We finally found two chairs beside the kid's pool, put our bags on the circular wooden table between the chairs, and sat down.

"See, Kat? We've already won the battle. See how many boys are swooning over us?" Syndra said slyly as she tied her white hair into a high ponytail. I fashioned mine into a thick, high braid.

"They're swooning over my abs, dummy. They wish they're as muscular as I am," I replied, "Also, you already have Zed."

"No, they're swooning over your curves, dummy," Syndra said, rolling her eyes, and asked me to put sunscreen on her back. I took the tube and squeezed it all over her back and laughed evilly.

"Hey, I asked you to rub it properly, not dump it on my back," Syndra said, then rubbed some off her back and transferred it onto mine. "You're going to act nicely at the pool, okay? If Garen comes, you're going to seduce him."

"No, I won't seduce him. I'll leave the pool," I said.

"But you're Katarina! Katarina doesn't run away from trouble; she bolts straight in," Syndra pointed out. That was true.

"But Katarina knows that Garen isn't a problem that she can solve by running in," I pouted.

"That's because you still like him!" Syndra chirped cheerfully, drawing hearts in the air.

"Last one at the entrance to the blue waterslide has to drink an extra shot tonight," I declared, switching the subject, and ran. We decided earlier that we would have a girls-night today, after Zed finally agreed to sacrifice, only if Talon kept his promise to go to a downtown bar tonight with him. Talon hated clubs, but for Zed's sake and for Syndra to not kill him, he agreed.

"That wasn't far," Syndra gasped when she finally caught up to me at the entrance to the waterslide.

"Yeah, I don't care about fairness," I said, grinning, and climbed up the stairs, Syndra behind me.

The flight was long, approximately five floors tall. Syndra was exhausted by the time we reached the line-up. The rules at the pool didn't allow anyone to use magic or other equipment to move around, so Syndra couldn't ride her spheres.

"I'm not fit like you, okay?" she gasped. "Never make me climb that again."

"Get Zed to train you. You'll have abs with quality almost comparable to mine, and you'll have men envy them at the pool too," I barked, laughing loudly.

"What a stupid way to attract men," a soft feminine voice cooed from behind me, and it didn't sound like Syndra.

"Look who's here! What brought you to Piltover? Another model agency?" Syndra asked, grabbing Ahri's hands excitedly.

"Karma did," Ahri sighed, "She's busy with Ionia's events so she couldn't come. Therefore, she sent me to voice my opinion at this Noxus-Ionia conference thing or whatever instead."

"Wow, so you're skipping a conference or something? I don't see Swain or Emilia running around half-naked at the swimming pool," I said.

"No, dumb girl," Ahri hissed, "There's no meeting scheduled today."

"Is there a meeting tomorrow, then?" Syndra asked.

"There's one tomorrow evening, so I plan to sleep in tomorrow morning," Ahri cooed.

"Then... can you help me with something?" Syndra asked, begging, almost, that I could see sparkles coming out of her eyes. Ahri wasn't normally known to help other people; she was a selfish fox.

"Depends," Ahri responded.

"I have very good alcohol," Syndra chirped.

"I'm down," Ahri replied without hesitating and shook Syndra's hand formally, then asked: "So what's the problem?"

"Katarina's being aggressive because she's heartbroken-"

"I'm not!" I snapped, interrupting Syndra.

"-and Garen's here so Katarina's being extra aggressive," she finished her sentence anyway, ignoring me.

"In other words, Katarina's acting like a teenager. Well, Katarina, if you're willing to listen to my advice, I can offer you some," Ahri said, smiling at me. I looked at her doubtfully.

"Hey, Ahri helped me with Zed too. She's good," Syndra put her hands on my shoulders to offer reassurance.

"So, if Garen shows up here right now, what will you do?" Ahri tested me.

"In the past, I would have teased him as hard as possible. Now... I guess I won't say anything. I'll wait for my turn, slide down, and leave the pool," I answered honestly.

"Oh no," Ahri sighed, "Tsk, the normal Katarina I know shows men her body, gives them a seductive look, and then struts away coldly and sexily."

"Right? That's the spicy Katarina I know too! But for some reasons she's really not having it since she arrived today, and the only reason that can explain this is that she's reminded of her past when she saw Garen," Syndra added quickly.

"Stop arriving at conclusions, you guys," I sighed tiredly, although thinking about it now, what they said was true. I was definitely losing some of my spice.

"So Ahri, please help this poor, stubborn Katarina," Syndra sighed too, copying me.

They were then forced to stop talking because it was our turns to go on the waterslide. The lifeguard helped me into the slide and pushed me down.

The waterslide seemed blue from the outside but it was made with the type of glass that allowed me to see my surroundings from inside the tube. I sat back, relaxed, glad that I could finally have some peace. Ahri and Syndra were giving me a headache.

I peered at the pool below me, watching kids run around and others tan on the side. I was happy and smiling until I saw a body I recognized easily walk out of the changeroom and toward the empty beach chair beside mine.

I choked on the water and coughed vigorously, and continued coughing when I hit the end of the slide.

"Lame, did you choke on the water in the slide? Even three-year-olds don't do that," Syndra laughed and helped me up. For some reason, she got to slide before I did even though I arrived first.

"Three-year-olds don't have eyes as sharp as mine to be capable of spotting specific people from waterslides this fast," I said, then coughed again.

"You saw Garen? Where?" Ahri asked, standing up from the slide.

"I said _specific people_ , not Garen," I snapped, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, you saw Garen. Where is he?" Syndra asked, then looked around, stopping at the direction of our beach chairs. "Oh, there he is. Ahri, can you talk to him for Katarina's sake?"

"I don't know him well, but I can ask Lux, if you see her around," Ahri replied.

"Thanks for the offer, you two, but it's okay," I said.

"Yeah right. If no one talks to him, you're not going to ruin your own vacation but also Talon's and Cass'," Syndra said, slapping my back. "I mean, you can talk to him too, if you don't want Ahri to."

"I don't want Ahri to talk to him... either." My voice trailed off as I discovered that Ahri had already disappeared. I used my assassin's accurate senses and finally saw that she was already talking to Lux at the hot tub. God damn Ahri.

I stared at Ahri and Lux for a few more seconds until the sly fox caught me watching them. She signalled for me to walk over, but it wasn't like I wanted to deal with Lux either. She played a part in breaking Garen and me apart.

I turned around and found that Syndra had found three other people to talk to: Shen, Akali, and Irelia. They were busy chatting about something happily, so I walked closer to join.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked.

"The schedule of the Treaty meetings this week," Syndra chirped happily, "Akali and Irelia are joining us for the girls-night, if it's okay with you.'

"I was never fine with the idea of the girls-night, but sure, I'll watch you guys get drunk," I said, sighing.

"What's with that attitude, you ungrateful Noxian?" Irelia snapped. "I got dragged into this too, it's not like I want to come."

"Then don't," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Shh, Irelia's here because she's having issues too, but she doesn't know about them yet, so we're going to help her," Syndra whispered into my ear. I scoffed and stared at Irelia, then crossed my arms to listen to Akali explain the situation.

"I heard that you're having some troubles with Garen, so if you want to, I can give you some ideas," she said, then hugged Shen's arm, "I had a hard time with him too, so I understand your pain."

"Thanks, I guess," I said, smiling wryly. I doubt her problems were as complicated as mine, however. Plus, I didn't actually want to go back to this Garen thing... If only I didn't come on this trip.

"Sorry, Shen, for stealing Akali from you," Syndra apologized.

"It's okay, I can go find Talon, although he's with Zed," Shen replied hesitantly.

"Time to make up then, right?" Syndra laughed. I guess all of us had issues of our own, and with that in mind, I muttered a "thank you".

"What's that?" Syndra said.

"Thanks!" I yelled. Akali, Shen, and Syndra laughed. Irelia remained emotionless as usual.

"Well, let's hope Ahri's plan is successful and that Lux can help you a bit," Syndra said, smiling. "Meanwhile, I'm going to pass the time tanning. Who's in?"

Syndra looked at us, but no one was interested. She should know that she was dealing with a tank, a fighter, and two assassins.

"Okay. I guess Ahri's the only who can relate then. You four are probably more into swimming and body-building," Syndra laughed awkwardly and walked away to her beach chair. Garen had already left by then, thankfully.

"She'd have better luck if we were mages or supports, no?" Akali joked after Syndra had sat down in her chair, a magazine opened in her hands.

"True. You guys down for a swim?" I asked.

"Last one to finish ten laps has to drink an extra shot tonight!" Akali shouted and ran. Shen, Irelia, and I sprinted after. Although they were all Ionian, I guess as sword and knife wielders, we still had something in common. And with that being said, I guess I won't mind opening my heart to Irelia and Akali tonight.

* * *

Hope you liked the story! Please review/fav/follow, thank you~


	4. Day 1: Begin the Night

Part 4! Was reviewing Kat's, Talon's, and Cass' lores and found that they're darker than I remembered them to be... OTL hopefully I can still keep the rest of the story light but still very relevant to the lores T-T

Also, thank you all so much for the reviews, favourites, and follows!

To my lovely reviewers:

 **ragerranger35** : thanks for your continuous support, it means a lot! Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you either ^.^

 **xValkyrie93** : hopefully Kat calms down soon ^^;

~Sincerely, Angel

* * *

No one surprising showed up after Shen, Akali, and Irelia. The four of us had a great time in the water, while Syndra almost fell asleep tanning with Ahri and Lux.

"Are you guys down for one more round, or should we call it a day?" I asked, wringing the water out of my wet braid.

"Shen and I have a reservation, so we have to go. Sorry, Kat!" Akali apologized, her tone filled with guilt.

"I don't have any plans, but I don't think it's fun if we're the only ones swimming, right?" Irelia asked me, wrapping her wet ponytail up into a bun.

"I agree, it's not fun," I said.

Irelia and I continued to stand in the water, both wondering what we could do, while Akali and Shen had left the pool and headed to separate changing rooms.

"Hey Irelia! I heard that there's a swimming competition, can I join?"

I tensed up, unable to move, upon hearing a familiar masculine voice.

"Actually, I think I'm going to call it a day," Irelia responded, signalling me to leave or do something as she was trying to buy me time. Knowing it was Garen, my back facing him, I sunk back into the water and swam away from the two of them.

I swam toward the centre without breathing, until I thought I heard a frantic: "Katarina!"

I bobbed out of the water and stood up, thinking Garen had called my name, then foolishly turned around only to find that he had already walked out of the water, Irelia following him. Seeing that I was out of the water, Irelia gave me an "OK" and a wink.

I sighed, went back in the water, opened my mouth and yelled underwater: "STUPID KATARINA!"

Running out of oxygen, I stood back up. I looked around, making sure that no one heard me or was aware that I did something disruptive underwater, then left the water from the other side of the pool. Garen always had to be here to ruin my day.

Sighing, I waddled toward the beach chair to collect my belongings, then headed straight for my suite without going into the change room. The last person I wanted bump into right now was Lux, who just walked into the change room.

With my mind blank, I soullessly rode up the elevator and walked down the hallway, bumping into innocent people on the way, as flashbacks of my relationship with Garen helplessly appeared in my conscience.

Years ago, prior to joining the League, I was only famous for being General Du Couteau's teenage daughter.

During that period, my father had once asked if I wanted to accompany him to a peace meeting in Demacia, and I said yes. I was only a thirteen-year-old girl back then, who was innocent and curious about the world and its politics.

The meeting was three days long, and I was commanded to attend the opening ball on the first night and the closing night on the last day. My father told me that I could spend the rest of the time wandering the streets, as long as I didn't pull out my daggers to try and start fights.

We arrived a day before the conference, so I had a full day before the opening ball. After my father and I settled into the room reserved for Noxian delegates, I headed out into the Demacian streets in a pair of leather pants, matching boots, a white cotton blouse, and a black fur cape with a hood. It was the beginning of winter back then.

I walked into a market and participated in an auction. I guess I said something wrong back then, but I don't really remember what made me pull out my daggers to scratch the young prince, Jarvan IV.

That was where I met Garen, who, back then, was protecting Jarvan IV. They, like me, were two kids having a fun day, and I, the ruthless and stubborn, somehow ruined their day and also fell in love with Garen at first sight.

It wasn't a romantic love at first sight: I wasn't particularly attracted to anything physical about Garen, but when we started arguing about who was a fault, I became attracted to his intelligence and ability to observe the smallest details. He was a smart boy, and I was sure my father would have approved of him if he hadn't been a Demacian nobility.

I shook my head vigorously and cleared the thoughts in my head. I didn't like these flashbacks.

Wrapping my body with the hotel's fluffy white towel, I walked to the dresser and dried my hair slowly with another towel. I had finished showering and realized that I had been mindlessly drawing scenes from that trip to Demacia on the glass enclosure of the shower.

"Kat, is that you?"

Cass' voice from the living room shook me free from my flashbacks again, and I was grateful for that.

"Yeah, I just got back from the pool," I answered.

"The dinner you ordered is here," Cass said, sliding the bathroom door open slightly.

"I ordered dinner?" I asked myself quietly. I probably did that when I was zoning out, but I didn't mind eating in my suite since there was a long night ahead of me.

"You ordered for Talon and me too? That's so sweet of you! I guess you've calmed down a bit, haven't you?" Cass said, grinning. I ordered for them too? I must've been really out of my mind.

"Guess I did," I mumbled, walked out of the bathroom, and joined Cass at the dinner table in a black silk robe.

"Really, thanks for ordering the food. Talon and I were both stuck on what to have for dinner. You did us a big favour, sis," Cass said happily and slithered onto a chair. We waited a few more minutes for Talon, who was taking a shower after his workout.

"Oh, dinner time!" Talon exclaimed happily and walked out of his room, drying his dark locks with a blue towel.

"You worked out for a whole afternoon, but still no gains," I sighed disappointedly and grabbed a piece of bread, now that we were all at the table.

"It's only the first day," he said, sitting down and rolling his eyes, then asked if my afternoon was good. I replied that it was great, and completely left out the part where I saw Garen.

"Oh, also, about the girls-night today, it'll be in Irelia's room, so I'm not going to be here," I said, slurping udon noodles. Being the centre of development, Piltover sure had access to a large variety of food.

"Irelia? Of all people, why Irelia?" Cass asked, surprised.

"Zed and Syndra share a suite, the three of us share a suite, and Shen and Akali share a suite too. Although you boys are gone tonight, it's still not good to make a mess in the shared rooms, right? Oh, and Ahri doesn't want to host, so Irelia's sort of forced to," I answered.

"Poor girl," Talon said, shaking his head disappointedly and disapprovingly at the other girls and me.

"You feel bad because it's Irelia," I smirked. Like me, apparently Talon had something going on with Irelia in the past. I plan to find out the details about it tonight.

"Let's not talk about that," Talon cleared his throat. "So it's in her room? Have fun."

"Thanks, I'm sure I won't have fun," I replied, then asked Cass again if she would like to join. Her answer was no, as it had been.

The three of us finished our feast slowly, each of us taking turns to talk about our afternoons. Talon had an exhausting time at the gym, but he was happy because there were clearly girls admiring his looks. Cass spent the time slithering through different exhibitions about Shurima but still couldn't find any solutions to her curse. I told them about the swimming competitions and meeting way too many people from the League.

"Did you happen to see Garen and Lux too?" Cass joked.

"Nah," I replied, shrugging as casually as possible.

They left me alone and decided not to ask anything else, so Cass and I then had to endure Talon's boasting, until Cass had enough and said she finished eating.

"Are you staying in the room tonight?" Talon asked as Cass slithered down the chair and out of the dining room.

"I might as well stay since both of you are gone. I think I'll take advantage of the free movies," Cass replied.

"I'm done too," I added, stood up, and tucked my chair under the table.

"Are you going now?" Talon asked.

"It's about time," I said, glancing at the clock. It was almost eight o'clock, and I needed to go down to the bar to get a bottle of liquor I saw earlier.

"Cool, I'll go find Zed then," Talon said, then left the dining room to go get dressed. I went into my room as well and changed into a black lace bralette and tight black shorts. Then, saying goodbye to Cass, I grabbed a few gold coins and went down to the bar behind the lobby.

There were a lot of people dressed formally at the bar, so I attracted a lot of attention. But I was running out of time, and the special alcohol was my priority, so for once I wasn't as self-conscious as I usually was.

"I want that bottle of Piltover fruit wine," I told the bartender once he was finished with other orders.

"We can't sell that," he replied coldly.

"But I want it," I said, then gave him my gold coins. I didn't like spending time with stubborn people, but I know Irelia would love this wine. Since she was forced to host, I should give her something.

"Sorry, we can't sell that," he said again.

"Stubborn, aren't you," I give him my signature glare. He looked afraid, but still wouldn't give in.

"Leave him alone, he said he's not selling it," a masculine voice sighed from behind me. I turned around, met Garen's face, and I blushed crimson.

But without losing to Garen, I turned back to the bartender again and asked one more time. He gave me the same answer, so sighing, I ended up having to shunpo to the wine, shunpo out again, and leave the coins on the bar counter.

"Thanks, man," I told the bartender quickly before running off.

I slowed down when I reached the elevator. God, did Garen and the bartender piss me off. The Katarina Du Couteau never ran away from chaos she created, so running away back there definitely hurt my pride.

The elevator doors opened and I rode up and walked to Irelia's room, head drooping sadly. I rang on her doorbell.

"Hey! Our protagonist is here! Come in!" Akali said cheerfully, opening the door and welcoming me in.

"Yep," I mumbled quietly, "I'm here."

I followed Akali into the living room that looked like it had been decorated carefully. Ahri was busy mixing drinks in the kitchen, while it looked like Syndra and Irelia had already started to talk about something. I couldn't here the exact content from the foyer, but judging from the grave expression Irelia had, I knew it had something to do with Talon.

"Girls! Kat's here," Akali announced again, this time successfully capturing everyone's attention.

"Wow, she's finally here, and she looks drained of energy again," Ahri purred and walked toward me, a clear blue drink in her hand. "I heard you like exotic drinks, so this one's for you."

"Thanks," I said, and followed her to an empty couch in the living room. We sat down beside each other and clinked our glasses: "Cheers."

"It's good," I said, surprised, after I swallowed my first sip.

"Good to know. I put in some potion in it, so hopefully it's going to work, and everyone can finally know what happened to poor Kat and Garen. Right, Syndra?" Ahri said, giggling, looking at Syndra.

"You put what in it?" I exclaimed, horrified.

"Truth potion. Ionia's magic," Ahri grinned and winked at me slyly.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please review/fav/follow! Next part may be up as soon as tomorrow, earlier than that, or during the next 7 days~


	5. Day 1: Talking

And... the dark history of Katarina and Garen is finally here! I doubt it sticks to the lore completely, but I included some parts of it. I also included Irelia and Talon's story in this chapter, and that definitely has nothing to do with the lore. Lots of girl-talk this chapter, so bare with me~

Please review/fav/follow, thanks! Motivates me to write more xD

~Angel

* * *

Ahri made me cry.

The potion she put in my drink was a powerful medicine from Ionia. Syndra once told me that Ionian parents gave it to their children when they were having trouble expressing their thoughts or sadness.

It wasn't supposed to make them cry though, so I physically forced Ahri to admit that she gave me ten times higher than the concentration recommended.

"Okay, Katarina, enough of strangling Ahri. We all know you're sad, so just cry all you want. Even if you deny it, no one here's going to believe you," Irelia said as she drank a normal glass of Ahri's drinks.

"Then why don't we start with yours first then, Irelia? Since you think it's so easy to talk about heartbreak," I hissed, releasing Ahri. I was grabbing her by the collar of her white chemise.

"Fine then, I'll tell you," Irelia said, gulping down the drink, then reached for another one. The night hadn't really started yet, but from Irelia's red cheek and openness, anyone could tell that the Blade Dancer was already extremely tipsy.

"Girl, did you spike her drink with the potion too?" I asked Ahri quietly while trying to not laugh at tipsy Irelia.

"Yeah, it's the same one as yours," she answered gleefully. No wonder Irelia was acting like that. She belonged in the same category as Ahri and me: heavyweight.

"Wait, so if Irelia's already going down, that means I will too? What type of potion is this? I can't even taste it, but the effects are that strong?" I exclaimed, watching Irelia giggle and roll onto the carpeted floor.

"You only had one sip and you're already crying, so you should know how strong it is," Ahri smiled slyly, "Sorry Kat, I guess the truth behind your little secret is coming out tonight." Shit. I came here half wanting to tell them, and half not wanting to, and now I don't even get to decide if I want to?

"So a few years ago, I bumped into Talon when I went to Noxus," Irelia sighed all of a sudden, then bursted into tears, "but then we broke up."

I didn't know how to react since Talon was my younger brother, but it looked like no one else in the room knew how to react to it either, so I felt a bit better.

"Can you elaborate a bit more?" Ahri asked softly, giving her another drink. Irelia was now sitting on the carpet, crying like a child. Nevertheless, Irelia took Ahri's offer and gulped it down.

"This was before we met at the Institute of War," she sniffed, "Back then, I was a teenager, and Karma ordered me to go to Noxus to negotiate with the Black Rose.

"I accepted the quest and embarked on my journey. I carried a tent and food with me, because the Black Rose didn't know I was going, so naturally I probably didn't have a place to stay.

"When I arrived at Noxus, locals helped me find the location of the Black Rose's headquarters, and I was grateful. But when the locals left and I took my first step into the organization's grounds, I was captured immediately. It was scary, being surrounded by twenty sword wielders.

"And, as you all probably expected, a young Talon came to my rescue. He scooped me up, carried me, and jumped over walls and walls until we arrived at his house, or something. Talon took me in for the next few days, and helped me set up meetings with Swain and others. That's how we met."

Irelia sighed, finishing her long speech, emptied her drink then grabbed another one. She swirled the liquid and looked at the ground quietly. No wonder I couldn't find Talon at home for an entire month; he was hiding an Ionian girl in his quarters at the Black Rose.

"I honestly didn't know you had a thing going with Talon," Akali exclaimed, "I thought your boy was someone else, like, an Ionian."

"Unfortunately my love life isn't as smooth as Shen and yours," Irelia sighed again and wiped her tears with the bottom of Ahri's chemise. The fox looked at her disgustedly, but didn't say a word. Ahri was probably shocked that the boy was Talon, too.

"Kat, did you know anything about this?" Syndra asked.

"I only know that Talon still likes Irelia, and that a few years ago, he wasn't home for a whole month." I replied. It was then that I had been forced to quit my father's program at the Black Rose.

"Damn," Syndra exhaled, "didn't know that Talon had the hopeless romantic in him." I nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Well, what happened between Talon and you during that month and after?" Akali asked, after Irelia had calmed down a little and stopped chugging alcohol.

"I fell in love with him. I learned that not all Noxians were as evil as I thought they were. Talon woke me up every morning, showed me the city, his favourite places in the rural areas of Noxus, and even cooked for me, although he was bad at it," Irelia paused to laugh, "I honestly liked him, but I don't think he felt the same way."

"What made you think that way?" I asked curiously with a tone full of amusement.

"I forced a kiss the night before I left, and he didn't respond. That was the last time I saw him before training began at the Institute. Talon didn't even see me off the next morning when I departed," she answered with a sad smile.

"What an asshole," I said angrily, "Dad didn't raise him to be like that!"

"Do you still like him?" Akali asked.

"Obviously she does, dummy, or else she wouldn't be here crying her heart out. Don't you remember how the potion works?" Ahri said frustratedly, shoving Akali gently.

"It... makes you cry? I don't know, I'm Ionian but I've never had it before," Akali replied.

"It makes you cry about your current troubles, not the ones you've already gotten over with," Syndra explained.

"Well," I cleared my throat, "if you want to talk to Talon, I guarantee it'll work out, because I know why he didn't see you off the next day."

All eyes were on me, especially Irelia, who was staring at me intently.

"Talon looks strong, but he's a real pussy on the inside," I explained, "He fell in love with you back then too, trust me, and he didn't respond to your kiss because the confused little boy took over his manliness during that moment and the day after. I bet you he cried a week straight and shut himself in his room after that, just replaying the scene and regretting that he didn't kiss you back." He actually did that, but I didn't know what for back then.

"You should probably talk to him," Ahri suggested.

"I agree," Akali added. Syndra and I nodded in agreement as well.

"I'll see... but anyway, that's the end of my story," Irelia said, laughing, wiping the rest of the tears off her face, then stared at me and said: "Your turn."

"Me? I'll pass- mff!"

"You don't get to," Ahri said sneakily, dumping the entire pitcher down my mouth.

"That's cruel!" I gagged, swallowing the liquid, feeling the effect immediately. Tears welled up in my eyes again involuntarily. Oh no.

"Since you're trained to resist poison, I had to give you all of that. Sorry, Kat," Ahri grinned. "It's okay, no rush, we'll give you a few minutes for the potion to take effect."

"Did you really just say 'no rush'?" I stood up from the couch, shouting loudly, but then quickly lost my balance and fell back onto the couch. I was a bit dizzy, but it felt good, somehow.

"So, Garen, isn't it? How did you meet?" Ahri asked with a hypnotizing tone, a gentle smile on her face.

"Auction. It was an auction in Demacia," I mumbled, sprawled over the couch, "I was about to kill Jarvan."

"You what? Damn, Kat, you really have guts," Akali exclaimed.

"As I was about to slice Jarvan open, Garen jumped in front of him and took the blow with his armour. He accused me for trying to assassin the prince, and I said I didn't even know it was him. We argued a bit more and Garen wanted to take me to jail, but thank God Jarvan said to let me go.

"I was sort of forced to leave the Demacian market and streets, and I did, because I didn't want to bring dad any trouble. But for the whole time, Garen took over my thoughts. I admired his courage, intelligence, and loyalty. It wasn't a lot longer later that I realized I might have fallen for him.

"I met him a day after at a masquerade ball, the opening ball for a city-state conference. Obviously I didn't recognize him with the masks on, but someone forced me to use violence again and Garen jumped in to defend my target. Again.

"It turned out I was trying to kill Lux this time, who was still a child at that time and accidentally spilled juice onto my dress. I was trying to defend myself as I argued with Garen again, but lost the argument and apologized when my dad interrupted. That was when I learned who Garen was, and he who I was.

"After I apologized, my dad left happily, and Lux went to grab another glass of juice. Garen and I talked a bit more, and I must have been possessed by something because I apologized to Garen for what I did to Jarvan earlier. He forgave me, and we talked a bit more, just learning about each other.

"When the last song played, he wrapped his hand around my waist and we naturally walked onto the dance floor and shared the last dance. And when the fireworks exploded, we shared our first kiss."

I was crying by then, but also giggling uncontrollably. I could still feel the long kiss now, and how Garen's and my tongues danced around in each other's mouths. We were only two passionate young teenagers back then, and I wished we still were.

"So while my dad was at the meetings for the next two days, and Jarvan there too, with his dad, Garen took me to the outskirts of Demacia. We went on a picnic and made out by the lake. He took me to another market and bought me a hair piece. I wore it on the closing ball, where I cried and cried and made sure Garen promised that he would still look for me after I went back to Noxus," I gulped, more tears welling up in my eyes. Ahri offered me a box of tissues.

"And so he didn't keep his promise. We did meet up a few times after, exchanged letters, and went on a few dates, but one day it just ended all of a sudden," I sniffled, wiping my eyes with the tissue. "I didn't hear from him for years since then, until we met each other at the League, where I learned that he had been engaged to Jarvan's cousin, who was also a Demacian royal.

"I asked him to explain why he broke his promise, and all he said was some bullshit about politics, and that he wasn't allowed to marry a Noxian."

With that, I sighed, finished crying, and curled up on the corner of the couch. I peered at the four girls, and discovered that all of them exhibited a confused and sympathetic expression.

"What," I sniffled, then tucked my head between my legs and body.

"I didn't know Garen had the asshole in him," Syndra exhaled.

"Right?" Akali added. "I thought he was just a responsible guy who cared about everyone."

"Yeah, that's true, except he didn't care about me." I said.

"What if you tried to talk to him again?" Ahri purred. "Lux offered me some insight to Garen this afternoon. I think it can help you."

"Really?" I said disbelievingly, moving out from my curled position.

"For all I know, Garen might just be as stressed as you are," Ahri said, smiling.

"Well, since it looks like you're actually acting like a nice friend this time, I'll listen to you," I said calmly, now that the potion's effect has faded away. What a weird potion.

* * *

You know you want to review/fav/follow :3

Hope you enjoyed this chapter~


	6. Day 2: Family Lunch

Some sibling interactions in this chapter, and Talon getting teased~ Lighter chapter and not much Garen and Katarina ^^

Thanks for the support and please review/fav/follow!

~Angel

* * *

"Mmm..." I stretched, rubbed my eyes and asked: "What time is it?"

"Ten in the morning," Ahri replied, showing me the clock, and opened the curtains. I was still lying on the couch. I stretched a bit more then sat up.

"I said I'd have lunch with Talon and Cass!" I exclaimed, suddenly remembering.

"You should get going then, shouldn't you?" Ahri said, smiling, and helped me stand up. I think we grew closer throughout the night, after everyone heard my story and gave me advice.

"I should. Where's the rest of them? I should at least say good morning before I go," I said.

"Irelia's the only one up, and she's in the shower. Syndra and Akali are still sleeping, so you should probably go," Ahri said, "Don't worry, I'll let them know."

"Thanks," I said, paused, then added, "and thanks for your advice."

"No worries," she replied, smiling, "Remember what you have to do when you see Garen again this week, okay? You can do it."

"Okay," I said, giving her a thumbs-up, and left Irelia's suite.

I went back to my suite, heard Talon snore from his room, and saw a sleeping Cass in the living room. Smiling, I turned off the TV where a movie was still playing.

I went into the bathroom in my bedroom and took a quick shower. I was feeling a lot fresher and better compared to yesterday, but I wasn't sure if it was because I finally lifted the rock off my heart, or if it was because of the information Ahri pried from Lux.

I finished the shower and dried my long hair. I completed my morning routine, applying lotion and other skincare products, while waiting for Talon and Cass to wake up and get ready. Cass really wanted to go to a fried food restaurant downtown.

In a knee-length, flowing, sleeveless white dress, and my hair braided and secured in a bun with the hair accessory Garen gave me years ago, I walked out of the bathroom.

"You look so youthful today," Cass said, clapping.

"Thanks," I replied.

"Doesn't suit you at all," Talon smirked. I threw a dagger fiercely at his face. He dodged it, as usual, and the dagger stuck in the wall at an angle.

"Guess the hotel has a new decoration, no?" Talon laughed, panting. "Didn't expect that, Kat."

"I decided to change my appearance, but that doesn't mean I stopped carrying my babies around," I hissed, lifting my skirt to show him my black shorts and daggers held on the leather belts.

"All right, you two. Let's get going, shall we?" Cass said, slithering to the place between Talon and I in hopes that we'd stop arguing. Sometimes, I felt bad that she had to be in this.

"Okay. Let's go," Talon said. He took the lead and walked out of the suite before us. Cass and I looked at each other, sharing the same confused expression.

"He's surprisingly calm today," I said.

"You too," Cass replied.

I looked at her, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Zed and Shen probably knocked something into him last night, as did Syndra and Ahri to you," Cass explained with a gentle smile. "Anyway, let's go."

With that said, Cass slid out of the suite, and I following her. It took me a while to realize what she meant with the boys knocking logic into Talon, but now that I knew, I hoped that he would say something to Irelia.

The three of us walked and slithered out of the hotel and into downtown. I had been to Piltover in the past, but never on a vacation.

Steam came out chimneys of almost every building, and Cass and I stopped briefly at every store we passed. We'd stick our faces to the display glass and marvel at small statues, paintings, antique instruments, and clothes, until Talon became impatient and urged us to keep going.

"I don't see the point in these stores," Talon muttered as we finally reached the restaurant and had been seated. The fried food restaurant was famous for its ingredients. The staff would travel across Runeterra for the best meat and vegetable, like Bilgewater sharks and Bandle City fruits.

"You don't, but Irelia does," I said, grinning evilly.

"What's with all this talk about Irelia?" he exasperated, "Can't I get a break? First it's Zed and Shen, and now it's you."

"Hey, me too," Cass chirped.

"Same thing, okay? Why are my loveliest sisters pestering me too?" Talon groaned.

As Cass teased Talon, I called the waiter over and ordered three Today's Special.

"Any drinks for you, Miss?" the waiter asked before he left.

"Just water, please," I replied. I was definitely not touching alcohol anytime soon.

I turned my attention back to Talon and Cass, and from what I heard, it seemed that Cass already knew a lot about Talon and Irelia's story, but not enough. With a nasty grin, I decided to reveal a bit more about Talon to Cass.

"Heard from Irelia that you hid her in your room for a whole month. Is that true? What did you guys do?" I asked, batting my eyelashes innocently.

"Don't do that, I can see the devil horns and tail," Talon snapped.

"You hid Irelia in your room for a month?" Cass gasped. "How inappropriate!"

"Cassi, I was a boy back then, not even a man," Talon growled, "And Katarina, shut the fuck up, I don't want to talk about it."

"Whoa there, chill," I said, then turned to Cass and said, "See, I told you it's true that Talon hid Irelia."

"Why?" Cass asked, horrified.

"God, you tell her then, Kat." Talon groaned. "I'll go wash my hands."

With that, Talon left our table, and I filled Cass in on Irelia's story. She was as shocked as I was when I realized that Talon actually wasn't gay and had been in a proper relationship before either of us.

"So Talon still likes her? No way," Cass said.

"Well, he's reacting quite violently, so I'm sure he still does," I bit my lower lip then said quietly, "I mean, I'm at least sure that he's guilty."

"Oh, I wish he'd go talk to Irelia," Cass sighed. "They'd be so cute."

"Right?" I said excitedly, banging the table with the handle of the butterknife. The waiter arrived then to bring us the salads and also took the chance to ask me, politely, to stop banging the table.

Talon came back shortly after, and started his salad after Cass and I already finished ours. The two of us discussed which shops to go to after lunch, while Talon was staring at his salad intently, deep in thought.

"Hey, isn't that Katarina and her siblings?"

Upon hearing my name, I stretched my neck and looked around.

"Behind you," a familiar, deep feminine voice laughed.

"Xayah!" I said cheerfully.

"Hey, is that one there okay?" Xayah asked, pointing at Talon. "He looks so lost in his own thoughts."

"You're quite observant," I replied, laughing, then turned to look at Talon. He had completely zoned out from the events of the world, not noticing that Xayah and Rakan had come.

"It looks like he's sleep deprived, but I feel like... I feel like there's something troubling him apart from that," Rakan expressed, scratching his chin.

"Doesn't it look like he's having girl troubles, babe?" Xayah laughed huskily. "Why don't you try talking to him, Rakan? Kat, Cass, what are your plans after lunch?"

"Shopping!" Cass and I answered excitedly.

"Cool. Rakan, I'm joining the two of them, and I can trust Talon in your hands, can I?" Xayah said, looking at Rakan.

"You can always trust me, miela," Rakan replied and gave her a peck on the forehead.

"All right, let's meet outside when we're done, yeah?" Xayah said, smiling.

"Yep," I answered.

The couple walked away, engaged in a new conversation, and sat down at a table not too far away from mine.

"Your main dish, Miss," the waiter came, blocking my view of the couple.

"Thanks," I said. I guess it was more healthy for me to not look at a couple and envy their interactions anyway. Cass and I grabbed the cutlery and dug into our fried dishes. Today's recommended dishes were fried Freljordian mountain pigs, Ionian salad, and Bandle City's wild-berry parfait.

"Oh, when did the meat arrive? And the dessert?" Talon exclaimed, suddenly realizing that there was food, aside from salad, in front of him.

"A long time ago," Cass said, rolling her eyes. "Assuming you didn't notice that Xayah and I came to talk to us earlier, just letting you know that Kat and I are going shopping with Xayah after lunch, and Rakan will be giving you some relationship advice."

"Oh, really? And did you ask if I was okay with it before this arrangement was made?" Talon asked angrily.

"Well, sorry for not asking you. It's not like you were zoning out or anything," I answered, rolling my eyes.

Talon glared at me but said no more, eating his food quietly.

"Good boy," I said, taunting him, as I took a sip of the bright green cocktail that just arrived. I gave in to alcohol in the end, oops.

"That looks good," Xayah's loud voice echoed through room.

"You're done already?" I exclaimed, turning around to see that Xayah and Rakan were approaching my table.

"We eat quickly," Xayah grinned. Then seeing that Talon's mind had returned to this world, she asked, with the same cheeky grin, "You're good now, Talon?"

"I was always good," he said coldly, trying not to be rude.

"Are you sure? Anything associated with Irelia can never be good," Xayah joked.

"Did you two tell her too?" Talon gawked at Cass and I blankly.

"No," we replied.

Xayah laughed heartily and gave Talon's shoulder a few hard pats: "Don't blame your sisters, they're cool. I happened to found pages of Irelia's old diaries in a trash can, so I know about it. That was five years ago though, and honestly, I can't believe that I actually have the chance to get to talk about it."

"Why is everyone suddenly digging into my dark past?" Talon groaned and squeezed his checks frustratedly.

"Because you're a good guy, and we're trying to help you," Rakan replied with a sunny smile. The rest of us nodded in accordance. I was mean, but I hated seeing my own brother suffer.

"Thanks then," Talon said with a wry smile.

"Well, whenever you three are ready, Rakan and I will be waiting outside," Xayah said, closing the conversation.

"Yep," I said, then turned to Rakan: "Thanks for agreeing to help."

"No problem!" he replied happily, then paused. Then, with a surprised expression, he scanned me quickly from head to toe, and with a gentle smile, remarked: "You're unexpectedly young today. Prettier. More energetic."

"Thanks," I replied, "just trying to change my attitude toward life."

* * *

Type your review and hit the follow/fav button thanks~! :3

v

v

v


	7. Day 2: Shopping with Girls

No boys this chapter :') This part of the story is all about Kat learning about how to hang out with girls~ (To the boys: here's some insight to how girls shop www)

Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy this chapter too! Please review/follow/fav, thank you~

~Angel

* * *

My siblings and I paid for the lunch and met Xayah and Rakan outside. They were busy talking about something and were laughing, so I felt a little guilty for interrupting them.

"Ready to go?" I asked, approaching them from behind.

"You guys are slow!" Xayah exclaimed. "Rakan and I were so bored!"

"Hey, bird, watch you beak," I joked. "So where are we going first? I don't know my ways in and out of this city."

"Neither do I, but I heard from Caitlyn that there's a good shopping district nearby," Xayah said, pointing at a long and narrow alley between a bar and cafe.

"Are you sure?" Cass asked, uncertainty lingering in her voice.

"Yes," Xayah replied. Cass, unlike Xayah and me, wasn't too comfortable with shadowy alleys decorated with spiderwebs and other sewage creatures.

Not that Xayah and I enjoyed travelling in those places either; we weren't Twitch.

"Don't worry, Xayah and I will protect you if anyone tries to kill you, okay?" I joked. In truth, Cass' venom was probably more useful when people suddenly jumped in front of or around us.

With that, Cass became convinced and willingly followed Xayah and me into the alley.

As expected, nothing happened and the three of us arrived at a busy shopping street safely. There were a lot of Piltover locals, with women wearing light, layered dresses appropriate for the hot weather, and men in dress shirts, dress pants, and light blazers.

The three of us stood just outside of the alley and admired the beautiful street. Wooden houses and metal decorations lined each side of the street, and there were beautiful dresses, jewellery, old books, and other beautiful merchandise inside the display glasses of each store. I could tell it was a popular shopping district, because not only was it flooded with visitors, there was also a number of locals.

"Caitlyn said that girls of all ages often shopped in this area," Xayah explained.

"I don't doubt it," Cass said, "Look at the hat boutique, I want that crochet sun hat!"

Cass pointed at the shop directly across from us. Careful for horses and carriages, the three of us walked across the street and went inside the store to help Cass pick a hat.

"Hey, Kat, do you think Rakan would like this?" Xayah asked, pointing at a white crochet beret.

"Try it," I urged. Cass was at the counter paying for the crochet sun hat she saw earlier.

Xayah put the beret on, and it was cute. The colour of the hat contrasted well with her magenta hair, feathers and purple outfit.

"You're so cute!" Cass slithered over, squealing, and adjusted the position of Xayah's beret.

"I agree!" I said, "Buy it."

"Okay," Xayah replied, grinning, and went to the counter happily.

"You should get one too, Kat," Cass suggested. "A white hat would go well with your dress and hair too, and you can clip your hair clip on the hat."

"Should I?" I said, frowning. "I feel like these hats are too youthful for me. I'm used to wearing black capes and leather hoods."

"You can wear those in the winter," Cass said, rolling her eyes, "But it's summer right now, so you should buy a hat. Here, put this on."

Cass pressed a straw hat with onto my head, removed Garen's hair clip, and clipped it onto the middle of a big white bow. I looked at the mirror and smiled. The big ribbon was on the back of my head, its tails trailing behind my neck, and the brim of the hat was large enough that my eyes couldn't be seen by others if I lowered my head.

"I like it," I said, posing in front of the mirror, then walked to the counter to pay. It was a relatively cheap hat.

The three of us left the store sporting our new hats. Coincidentally, all of our hats were white, and I liked that. It felt like I belonged in a group of normal, fashionable girls, instead of a group of dangerous, powerful girls like when I walked around the Ionian streets with Syndra.

Xayah then walked into a shoe store, wanting to repair the ones she was wearing at the moment.

"Really, Xayah?" Cass commented with disbelief. "I can't wear shoes, but even I know those shoes are too old. Kat, shouldn't she buy a new pair?"

"Um... I think it's okay," I said, looking at Xayah's combat boots. They were definitely over-worn, but I thought it was fine.

"Do you two know anything about fashion?" Cass exclaimed, the complained loudly: "Please buy a new one, or don't wear your fighting boots in the shopping district. Oh, my God."

"Girl, I don't wear shoes when I fight," Xayah said, defending herself, "and it's too hard to find shoes that fit my talons, so that's why I only have one pair. The unfashionable one is Katarina."

The two of them then turned to look at me and scanned me from head to toe, then from toe to head.

"Stop, this is so uncomfortable!" I yelped, hugging myself.

"I can't judge you today," Cass said, "But Xayah, Kat only ever wears black clothes, and almost never does her hair. Please help me dress her up."

"I think Kat just lacks a boy who can appreciate her body properly, so she doesn't have motivation." Xayah said. Bingo. I blushed.

"Oh, is that why you dressed up and even did your hair today?" Cass teased, poking my bare upperarm.

"What? What am I missing out on?" Xayah asked, curiously and excitedly.

"Kat's trying to impress Garen!" Cass answered loudly, attracting the attention of strangers.

"Hush!" I said, covering Cass' mouth, then explained to Xayah blushing: "Long story, but I guess I kind of care about how Garen sees me."

"Really?" Xayah exclaimed. She joined the League a lot later than Syndra, Ahri, and most of the other girls, so she it was given that she wouldn't know anything.

"Does Garen explain the hair accessory too?" Xayah asked, pointing at the clip that was now sitting on the bow of the hat. "Sorry if my assumption is incorrect, but that looks like it's made with Demacian materials and carved with Demacian tools."

"He gave it to me when I was thirteen," I replied shyly. The clip was a bunch of small, detailedly carved gold and platinum baby's breaths. He said that the dainty flowers reminded him of my tiny body dancing in a puffy dress at the opening ball.

"I didn't know you guys go so far back, wow," Xayah exhaled.

"And now she's thinking of getting back together with Garen," Cass said after I kindly uncovered her mouth to let her breathe.

"Really?" Xayah said excitedly, "Good luck! If you need help, I can always give you some advice on how to seduce him."

"Thanks for the offer, but I think Ahri already said enough to corrupt my entire brain last night," I said, laughing weakly.

"Damn, if it's Ahri, I'm sure it's good," Xayah howled, "Did she teach you from the basics of stripping to how to finish him off?"

"Fuck you. You didn't have to say it so loudly," I hissed quietly. Strangers were now staring at us and laughing.

"My bad," Xayah laughed, wiping a tear, "I thought you'd be more comfortable with the topic, considering the choice of clothing you wear when you fight. You know, the suggestive black crop top, and the questionable cat costume."

"Shut up," I cried.

"She's actually a virgin," Cass whispered quietly into Xayah's ear, but purposefully loud enough so I could hear.

At that point, I was too embarrassed to stay around Cass and Xayah, so I walked out of the store and sat on a bench while Xayah sent her boots in for a repair. I lowered my head so I could be ignorant about strangers who heard Xayah's vulgar words and stared at me as they left the store and passed my bench.

Cass and Xayah left the store shortly, with Xayah now barefooted. Without apologizing to me or particularly acknowledging my presence, they continued chatting and moved down the street until they reached a jewellery shop.

"Kat, come here!" Cass yelled, waving for me to catch up more quickly.

I lazily walked over to the two of them and peered at the emerald necklace and earrings that Cass was pointing to.

"The colour of the emerald would bring out the colour of your eyes so well," Xayah said.

"Yeah, but look at the price," I said, laughing, and pointed at the price tag. It wasn't that General Du Couteau's little princess couldn't afford it, but I was an assassin and wouldn't have a lot of occasions to use those glamorous accessories. "I'd rather not waste money on it."

"What a shame," Cass said, "but I mean, you _do_ go to annual balls and other formal events from time to time."

"I have other jewellery that I can wear," I replied, then pointed at the emerald set and stated: "I'm not buying that."

"You'd think that people as influential and rich as you would be the ones that spend money on these, but I guess not," Xayah laughed. "Unfortunately I always try to cover my face, so jewellery doesn't have effects on me."

"Is there something you like from the display?" I asked, "It's not like you don't have a pretty face. You can learn to style your long bangs so it doesn't cover your face, you know?"

"That diamond pendant caught my eyes earlier," she admitted, "but I don't think I'm going to buy it."

"It's pretty though," Cass chirped. It was a delicate, teardrop-shaped dancing diamond pendant. Xayah was petite, so it would definitely look good on her.

"I'm giving it up though," Xayah sighed, and asked if Cass wanted anything. Then with her answer being no, the three of us travelled along.

"You know," Xayah said shyly after we were far away from the jewellery shop, "Caitlyn said there's a good lingerie store, if you guys are interested."

"I suppose you're interested," I teased, making her blush.

"Just admit it, it's okay," Cass said, grinning, "We can help you pick."

"Let's go," I grinned and swung my arm around Xayah's shoulders.

Cass and I commanded Xayah to show us where the store was, and continued to tease her as we moved along. Xayah appeared like a rebellious teenager, but when it comes to relationships, any normal girl would soften at least a little.

The lingerie store wasn't how I was imagining it. The store was mainly decorated with stuffed animals, pastel ribbons, and tulle. I thought it would be more similar to the adult stores I often passed by when I walked through red-light districts in Noxus.

"You seem shocked," Cass said to me as we climbed up the front stairs and into the cute store.

"You know those adult stores in Noxus? The ones with whips and handcuffs in the display glasses? I thought Xayah was talking about those," I explained, "This store is so tame."

"Kat, please," Xayah sighed, "Not all lingerie stores target sex maniacs. I specifically asked Caitlyn for a store that has lingerie and loungewear."

"Yeah, Kat, don't be so uneducated," Cass added with a gleeful tone.

With that, I was dragged to learn about lace camisoles, fuzzy socks and slippers, and cute pastel bralettes with lace and embroidered flowers.

"Okay, thanks for the information, but are you really planning on seducing Rakan with these?" I asked with disbelief after we had looked through every single rack.

"Hey! Sometimes it's sexier when there's a change to a normal routine!" Xayah exclaimed unhappily.

"Okay, you do what you think is best then," I said, laughing, and grabbed a white teddy from the rack beside me. I wasn't going to admit it to Cass and Xayah, but I was becoming attracted to the cute items too.

"Kat, you know what, while we're here, why don't you go find something that can add some freshness to your wardrobe filled with black bras?" Cass said when Xayah went into the change room.

"Why? They're comfy," I replied.

"What if Garen likes it?" Cass smirked.

"Shut up!" I yelped and covered my crimson cheeks with my hands.

It felt good to belong in a group of girls, but no one warned me that shopping with girls could become so dangerous. But even if I knew that, would it stop me from hanging out with a group of girls? Probably not. It was fun, and I would do it again.

* * *

Please review/follow/fav, thank you! Hope you're enjoying the story so far ^^


	8. Day 2: Masquerade-Themed Club

We're approaching the end of the second day~ Hope you enjoy ^^ Please review/fav/follow thank you!

~Angel

To my lovely readers:

ragerranger35: Yep don't worry Garen's showing up soon ;)

Samspre: thanks for your continuous support :')

* * *

The lingerie store was our last stop, since we spent almost an hour in there. Xayah took a long time deciding on the items she should buy, but most of the time was spent on Cass and Xayah convincing me to buy some too.

Cass managed to persuade me because she threatened to tell Garen that I still liked him. It was an overused blackmail idea, but it always worked.

So in the end, I spent about forty minutes sitting outside of the change room, waiting and letting Xayah and Cass take my size and shop for me. After they took my purse to pay for me at the counter, we left the store with a new bag in a happy Xayah's hand, and a new bag in mine too, filled with surprises that I hoped would be pleasant.

"So I received a message from Rakan earlier that there was a masquerade-themed dance at a famous club tonight," Xayah said when we took a break and sat down in a cafe, "are you guys interested?"

"I can't exactly dance," Cass replied, laughing.

"True," Xayah said, "What about you, Kat?"

"I think I'll go, unless Cass you have other plans," I replied, then looked at my sister, who shook her head.

"I think I'll go too. Do you want to pick out an outfit and go together? Talon and Rakan said they're picking theirs right now," Xayah said dreamily, probably imagining how cute her boyfriend looked like in a suit.

"Sure," I replied, shrugging. I wasn't an expert at picking dresses, so I guessed it would be good if Xayah helped me. In fact, I had never spent a significant amount of time dressing up for events at bars and clubs.

"Make sure you pick something that's not black!" Cass reminded me.

"You're supposed to wear black to a club," I said, rolling my eyes.

"No, not to this one," Xayah said, grinning, "We're going to an Ionian club. We passed it earlier, the glass building, if you remember."

"That one? That's fancy!" I exclaimed. The club, called Glass Shards, was a famous club known across Runeterra. The owner was an old Ionian man, who had the fabulous idea of creating a five-floor club with indoor gardens and waterfalls. He maintained the plants and Ionian animals with powerful magic.

Our afternoon tea set arrived then, and the three of us ate it slowly while I listened to Cass and Xayah discuss the types of dress I should wear. It seemed that Xayah had already decided on a tight, eggplant purple dress she saw earlier, and it seemed that they were debating on whether I should wear dark green or purple sheer.

"Why does it have to be sheer?" I asked them.

"The theme is 'masquerade' and 'Ionia', and when I think about Ionia, I think about translucent fabric like sheer and flowing fabric like silk," Xayah explained.

The two of them continued to discuss when we finished the food, paid, and left the cafe. However, they couldn't arrive at a mutual solution, so in the end they wanted me to pick what I wanted.

"I'll just pick a dress at the store with the dress Xayah wants," I concluded.

With that said, Cass said goodbye and left, while I followed Xayah to the dress store she saw earlier.

"I know you probably have enough black dresses, but there's one I saw earlier that I think you should definitely wear for tonight," Xayah said as we finally reached the store after fifteen minutes of walking.

"I like black," I told her as we walked through the store to find the dress Xayah saw earlier.

With her sharp shopping sixth sense, we found her tight, thigh-length dress in no time. She tried it on quickly, and I gave her my stamp of approval right away. It was a strapless dress with its bottom wrapped with an extra layer of flowing sheer.

Xayah paid for her dress instantly then took me to the black dress she mentioned earlier. It was an off-shoulder dress with a playful, layered bubble bottom.

"I assumed that all of your black dresses are tight and strapless, am I right?" Xayah asked, grinning.

"Basically," I replied. If I wasn't in such a good mood, I'd be throwing daggers at her right now for judging my taste.

"You should try this one on, then. It makes you look younger," she said, grabbing the dress off of the rack, and walked toward the change room. I followed her hesitantly.

With the help of one of the workers in the store, I was able to change quickly to let Xayah pitch in her comments. She approved immediately, and I, considering that the dress was actually quite comfortable and that I told Rakan at lunch that I wanted to change, also immediately walked to the counter to pay.

Xayah, happy, then went into a beauty salon where the two of us got our make-up and hair done for free. I didn't know that my vacation package included a free makeover for two.

Rakan and Talon came to the beauty salon to pick us up after. They were going to meet us at the club, but Xayah kept saying that she wanted to enter the club with Rakan. Talk about the stubbornness of people in relationships.

"Did you literally spend money on another black dress?" Talon gaped at me.

"Come on, just admit she looks good," Xayah answered, rolling her eyes.

"She doesn't though," Talon said.

"Excuse me?" I growled and grabbed Talon by the collar of his white dress shirt.

"Forgive the poor guy, Kat," Xayah laughed, "The only girl that looks good in Talon's eyes is Irelia."

"Hey!" Talon hissed unhappily.

"Irelia's going tonight," Xayah leaned toward me and whispered under her breath.

"Is that why... _oh_ ," I said, releasing Talon and grinning helplessly, "No wonder we're going tonight."

"We've got some setting-up to do tonight, my friend," Xayah smirked, grinning evilly.

With that, Xayah took the lead and we took a carriage to the club. After checking our ID, the staff led us through a water tunnel and into the lobby of the club. Glass Shards was a popular hangout for celebrities, aristocrats, and people associated with the Institute of War, so anyone wanting to enter spontaneously must be famous, or must wait for his or her turn on the waitlist.

"So, how did you find out that Irelia's coming tonight?" I asked Xayah as we waited for the staff to grab us four VIP pins, serving as entry tickets, and masquerade masks.

"Ask Rakan," she shrugged, "Once he's set his mind on something, he'll make sure it happens. I'm sure he really wanted Irelia to come here tonight, or he really wanted to help Talon meet Irelia properly. I think the latter."

"Are you like that too?" I asked her, laughing.

"Hmm... you'll find out later," she replied with a sly grin, scaring me slightly.

The staff came back later with four masks, each matching the colours of our outfits. I tied a simple black mask with green crystals on and put the pin on the left side of my dress. The four of us then took the glass elevator to the first of the three main dance floors. The first was the lobby, and the fifth was an outdoor garden and bar.

A few girls approached and flirted with Talon immediately after we entered, thinking that he had a cool gaze and hot body. Xayah and Rakan were simply admired and respected, having publicized that they were in a relationship. I, on the other hand, was approached by several males whom I couldn't recognize. I was sure that I didn't know any of them though, even if they took their masks off.

It wasn't long after when I had cut all conversations with the men and headed onto the dance floor alone. That was what I wanted to do most anyway, when I agreed that I would come tonight.

When _the_ Katarina Du Couteau went clubbing in Noxus, she would flirt with any man she deemed worthy, brew something hot, until the man was about to lay her on a bed. It wasn't that she wasn't tempted to continue, but because that someone had taken her heart and she couldn't find it anymore. Nevertheless, Katarina Du Couteau was known for diving in and pulling back at the last second.

Rumours had it going on in Noxus that I just liked to play with men, and I wasn't sure if I hated that statement or not. The reason behind why I show up in clubs at all was that I wanted to destress.

I danced away to the upbeat Ionian tunes and thought about taking a break, but then a slow song came up. I smiled to myself; maybe the DJ read my mind.

People on the dance floor grabbed whoever was closest to them, and it didn't took me too long either for a man to approach me. I was the attractive Katarina, after all.

"Enjoying your time, Mister?" I asked after he pulled me close. It wasn't someone I knew, thank God.

"It's all right, I guess," he replied, clearing his throat.

"You don't club often, do you?" I asked with a smile, then added in an amused tone: "I wouldn't have replied with 'It's all right'."

"Correct. It's my first time," he answered, dancing stiffly. I offered to take the lead, and he nodded. The tune was a popular Noxian love song, so I knew it well enough to know its beats... and that it was a long song. I wanted to groan or complain, knowing that I stumbled upon a bad dancer, but I kept my calm.

"Well, what can I say? Glass Shards is a good choice," I said. I guess I could pass the time talking, or teach him how to club.

"Thanks, my friend picked it," he replied. Then he accidentally stepped on my toe; I had to bite back a painful hiss.

"Tell your friend he has a good taste, then," I said calmly.

"I will," he laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked, smiling.

"It's nothing," he replied, clearing his throat.

The man learned quickly. Two minutes into the song, and he had already memorized all of my dance moves. I congratulated him on being a fast learner.

"Thank you, Miss," he replied calmly, but with a warm smile.

It wasn't long later that, somehow, he became the lead, and I slowly began to enjoy dancing with him.

"The way you dance is very proper," I commented. "Were you taught how to dance during formal occasions, like balls and galas?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Are you a prince or king, then?" I guessed.

"Something close to that," he laughed, "My best friend's a prince, and I spent most of my childhood in his castle."

"That's cool," I said. I definitely thought he was a prince, not just based on his dance moves, but also the confidence in his voice and his clean features and suit.

"What about you?" he asked suddenly, interrupting my observing him.

"Huh?" I responded after a while, blushing, "Sorry, had something on my mind. And no, I'm no princess." I laughed after that. Princess Katarina? What a joke.

"You dance well too, though. You're following my steps really well." I didn't even notice that he had switched to ballroom dance moves.

"Oh, that," I laughed, "My dad's an important political figure so I followed him to almost every ball and gala since I could walk."

"I should've guessed," he replied, smiling.

"So where're you from?" I asked after a while. We were just past half-way through the song.

"Demacia," he replied, "you?"

"Noxus," I said.

"Then you must know the song well," he remarked.

"And I must congratulate you on knowing this song is Noxian," I said, smiling with approval.

"Oh, bother," he laughed, "this song is famous throughout Runeterra, you know?"

"I only club in Noxus, so I wouldn't know," I replied, laughing lightly. He had a cute laugh.

"You work for Noxus, too, then? Like your dad?" he asked.

"No, I work for the Institute of War, actually," I replied.

"Oh? On the Board, or, trainer?" he asked.

"Something like that," I answered, not wanting to reveal my identity.

"Me too, I work for the Institute," he said after a long pause.

"I don't recognize you though," I remarked.

"It's okay, I don't recognize you either," he said.

Our atmosphere suddenly grew uncomfortable, so I was glad that the DJ cut the song short and transitioned into an upbeat song from Piltover.

We thanked each other for the dance before parting, later than most people, so when we released each other, someone's hand knocked my tightly-tied mask off of my head, and I was pushed into the man's embrace.

"Thanks," I said, lying inside his arms and forced to look him straight into the eyes.

"No problem," he said, releasing me. Then with a swift sweep, he lifted my mask off the floor and gave it to me. "Here's your mask."

"Thanks again," I said, blushing. I was grateful that the room was dark right now; the song hadn't approached its exciting parts, so the disco lights hadn't begin flickering yet.

I wanted to take that time to put the mask on so the man wouldn't have the chance to observe my face, but failed as the strings became stuck in my braided bun.

"Here," he said, smiling, and helped me pull out the strings and tied it on, facing me. I heaved out a sigh of relief as the mask was covering my face again, just before the lights began to flicker.

"Oh, your hair clip," he said, bending down to pick it up. But upon contact with it, he froze.

"Um, thanks, but can I have it back now?" I asked, tapping his back gently.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly and stood up, "It reminded me of a clip I had."

"Really?" I laughed, "That's a hair clip for girls though."

"Yeah," he laughed weakly, "It was for a girl. I gave it to her about twenty years ago. It must be rusty now though, unlike yours."

A number of facts and questions about this man suddenly began to swirl around in my mind, until they finally pieced themselves into an image, and I gathered the courage to ask: "Are you Garen?"

* * *

Okie okie sorry I ended here :') expect updates within 24 hours~ (Feedback/fav/follows make me work even faster okie, trends in the viewer-participation graph shows that most of you actually read all of the chapters and I'm so thankful~)


	9. Day 3: Garen's Room

Purely Garen x Kat interactions this chapter :) We're now on Day 3~ Please continue to review/fav/follow, thank you! *hugs*

To my lovely reviewers:

Chrisxdon: This will be in Kat's POV, but you'll get to see Garen's backstories through future conversations! Thanks for your support~

~Angel

* * *

"You're awake."

I rubbed my eyes, sat up, stretched, and looked at my surroundings. Draped on my body was a thick, sapphire-coloured blanket. I sniffed the blanket then stretched my neck to get a better view of the room. The wooden floor was covered in a matching carpet, and thick curtains of the same colour were still pulled together tightly over the floor-to-ceiling window panes, blocking the sunlight.

"Garen!" I yelped helplessly, suddenly remember the events from last night.

"Hi," he replied awkwardly, "Glad to see that you're awake. I'll... go open the curtains."

"T-thanks," I stammered and continued to sit stiffly in his bed. No wonder I thought the blanket smelled masculine earlier.

"Here, hang-over remedy," a feminine voice came from another side of the room. I looked around and find that it was Lux standing with a bottle of medicine from the door frame.

"Thanks," I said awkwardly, and walked toward her in a white, oversized shirt.

"I'm going out, meaning that I trust you, okay, Noxian?" Lux said, frowning, as she watched me drink the entire bottle of medicine. "You won't hurt Garen, right?"

"Listen, little girl, I'm strong but so is your brother," I replied coldly.

"You know, I really don't want to argue with you, so I'm going to leave," she said quietly and walked away quickly.

"Still the same, aren't you?" Garen said, laughing weakly, and approached me. Taking advantage of my small body, he reached his arm over my body and shut the door.

"Whoa, what's that for?" I asked, pointing at the doorknob.

"Lux isn't out yet, and I don't want her to hear our conversation," he replied, "Don't we have some things that we need to go through, like, what happened last night?"

"I think the more important things we need to talk about are what happened during the past fifteen years," I answered, rolling my eyes disapprovingly.

"Headstrong as always, aren't you? We already talked about all of that last night, if you remember," he said.

"Well, I don't," I replied, crossing my arms, and accused: "Someone poured too much alcohol down my mouth."

Garen was always a good boy, so he didn't try to fight back and instead told me to go snuggle back into his bed while he go outside and make me breakfast.

"It'll take me fifteen minutes, so spend that time wisely and try to remember what we talked about last night," he sighed, then just before he opened the door, he turned around and added quickly: "Don't pull the Katarina on me and escape from the window or down the drain, please."

"Do I look that skinny to you? Fuck. You. Garen!" I shouted after he shut the door and left.

Although I shouted with passion, I relaxed in his bed and tried to remember the specific events last night...

Upon discovering each other's identity, we stood frozen on the dance floor, until we came up with the mutual conclusion that we shouldn't be occupying a spot on the dance floor like that.

Garen and I then went to the top floor where I dragged him to the bar so I could chug ten shots of straight vodka. I think I said something about unable to talk to him honestly unless I was tipsy, and that it was going to take at least ten shots.

Garen watched me chug the alcohol then followed me into the garden, then sat down in the small cave I found behind a waterfall.

I wasn't tipsy at all at that time, so I patiently listened to Garen explain that the marriage was an arranged one he was forced into. Then he said something about still loving me, so he joined the League to avoid tying the knot, and that he was no longer engaged to that Demacian princess.

Then the alcohol must have kicked in, because I remembered I started to cry, swear, and try to beat him up. I didn't remember what I said, but it must have been embarrassing.

My cheeks flushed crimson at that thought.

"Looks like you remembered?" Garen said, amused, sitting half a metre in front of me on his bed, legs crossed, a tray of food on them.

"Why don't you look scared?" I asked suspiciously, inching backward after I grabbed a butter roll. Food before emotions.

"What?" he replied, confused, "Why should I be?"

"Wait, what? What do you mean?" I said.

"We made up, so I shouldn't be scared, right?" he said.

"What?" I exclaimed, "We made up? Since when?"

Garen was about to say something but didn't. Taking the hint, I tried my hardest to remember if anything else important happened last night, but I couldn't. And Garen, upon sensing my frustration, decided to sacrifice himself to answer me:

"You, me, uh... Before you passed out, you spent an hour crying and hitting me, and another hour hugging me after you threw yourself into my arms, asking to restart our relationship-"

"Which you said 'yes' to?" I groaned. "Don't be so gullible. Drunk girls say a lot of unintended things."

"Then... do you not like me anymore?" he asked, eyes hollow, with a painful tone so sad that I could feel my heart hurt.

"I..." I began, but didn't know how to finish.

Just then, Garen reached into his pocket and put the hair clip in front of me. Then, looking straight into my eyes, he said: "You like me, Katarina."

His voice echoed throughout his bedroom, the words hitting me over and over again until a headache struck me and Garen was forced to watch me massage my temple.

"I'm sorry," he said, not daring to look me in the eyes. "I know the word 'arranged marriage' isn't going to convince you, but I'm actually so sorry."

"Then be sorry," I sighed.

Garen sighed too, I knew he must be sad because I just rejected him after telling him that I wanted us to be a thing again, although I was drunk. I felt bad, somehow.

The situation was awkward.

"I should go," I said, about to leave the bed, "I'm sure Cass and Talon are worried."

"I went to your suite earlier, don't worry," he said calmly, "Cass is doing her nails in the hotel, and Talon is shopping for a gift."

"If you say so," I replied, shrugging, then sat back into the bed and tried to come up with another excuse to leave.

What felt like eternity passed as I ate my breakfast in the uncomfortable silence. I was busy feeling bad for Garen, and I was sure that he was as stressed as I was.

"Thanks," I said out of the blue.

"What for?" he asked, curious and smiling slightly.

"Well, for the meal," I said, hesitated, then confessed, "and for still liking me, I guess, after all these years."

"I should thank you too... then?" he said.

"No problem?" I answered.

We fell back to another uncomfortable silence again soon after, until my aggressive, stubborn personality couldn't stand it anymore and I suggested that we go somewhere together.

"I don't have any plans, so sure, I'll do it," Garen said.

"It's not a date, okay?" I said with an amused smile, seeing that Garen still had a confused expression on his face.

"Thanks for clarifying it. Nice way of rubbing salt into my many scars, Katarina," he replied, rolling his eyes.

"That's what I'm good at," I said, grinning, glad that he seemed to have cheered up a little. The small arguments and our constant teasing reminded me of how our relationship developed -the teasing being the spark that adds more heat and passion to the relationship.

I got up from his bed and suddenly realized that I didn't have any change of clothes, and thinking about that, I asked, pointing to the shirt I was wearing:

"Whose shirt is this?"

"Mine, obviously," he answered with an attitude I didn't like.

"Who gave you the permission to change my clothes?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Don't be dumb!" he exclaimed with flushed cheeks, "Xayah helped me bring you back. She didn't have any spare clothes and Lux's are too small for you. I didn't touch you, okay?"

"What if I don't believe that?" I joked. If Xayah brought me back... into Garen's room, then she must have known all along that Garen was going to be at the club last night. I groaned loudly.

"What was that for?" Garen exclaimed.

"Nothing," I replied, sighing, "I think I've been pranked."

"Okay?" he said.

"Hey, did Xayah leave anything with you? Like, shopping bags?" I asked, digging around, under the bed, in the closets, and in the drawers.

"Stop snooping around, will you?" he said unhappily, crossing his arms. Then he walked out of his room and came back with my shopping bags.

"Oh, thank God," I said, grabbing the bags from his hands. But then upon realizing that I didn't have any casual clothes -only questionable lingerie, winter clothes that were on sale, and the dress I wore yesterday- I swore frustratedly.

"What was that just now?" Garen asked, this time less surprised and more amused, irritating me.

"I don't have spare clothes," I sighed. He laughed.

"You could just go back to your room to get it, we live in the same hotel," he said.

"Our rooms might be very far apart though," I sighed, "My suite's in the central tower. Where's yours?"

"Far away from that," he said, then smiled cheekily and added: "Why don't you just admit you want to wear mine?"

"What?" I exclaimed, blushing, then self-consciously looked at the shirt I was wearing.

"I'm just kidding. I'll go get it with you then we can head out, does that sound good?" he said.

"Sure," I replied, then dug through my purse to try to find the key, but instead found a piece of paper taped to my key-holder. I read the note and scrunched my face.

"What's up now?" he asked, amused.

"Xayah's prank was bigger than I thought it was," I sighed. She had taken my key and written that she would only give it back to me if Garen and I made up. "I guess I can't go to my room and get new clothes, then. Cass and Talon won't be there right now."

"Wait, are you actually going to wear my clothes?" Garen gawked at me.

"What, do you have problems?" I snapped, then opened his closet and began searching for wearable clothes. At the very corner of the closet, I found a white shirt with ruffled sleeves and a dark green, pleated skirt.

"What's that?" I asked him quietly, unconfidently.

"That? It's... it's... Just try it on," he finally finished his sentence quickly then made an excuse about needing water and walked out of his room. With doubts, I tried it on. It fit me perfectly, surprisingly, and I decided to wear that today, although it bothered me that why he would have that in his closet.

Not being able to concentrate well, my ponytail came out loose and lopsided, and I failed putting on eyeliner several times, until I decided that it wasn't my day and threw away any ideas of putting makeup on. It wasn't a date, after all.

"Suits you," Garen said, smiling, when I left his room. He had changed into a new outfit too when I was changing, and was wearing a white, ironed button-up T-shirt, light grey cropped pants and matching blazer.

"You look nice," I said, "But too nice. People will think we're on a date."

"Can we not talk about that?" he groaned, scowling.

"But I like to tease you," I replied, grinning, and punched him on the arm.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it ^.^

Please review/fav/follow to show your support~ Thank you!


End file.
